Flickering Flames
by Demons Dancer
Summary: An OC/"Someone" romance. In which a new maid arrives... Read and review, if you'd please. Rating may change  let's face it, it always might  A super-special surprise to whoever guesses the correct pairing    Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: A story inspired in great part by my friend KrossAmongst's story: A Twist on Friendship~ We were discussing it and thought it would be cute for an OC/Someone romance-ish~ Try to guess who it is (it probably isn't obvious in the first chapter, so I'll try to get more up to help soon ^^) Thank you for reading, and GO READ KrossAmongst's STORY TOO (hehe, yes dear, I AM advertising your fic.) Please review, for they are love and points that I might improve on~ Thank you ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. If I did, there would be 100% more shota and Season 2 wouldn't exist XD Enjoy~ **_

The butler of the Phantomhive house twitched at the latest 'masterpiece' to decorate the kitchen in charred black. Sebastian didn't normally let his anger show, covering it up with a disappointed sigh while underneath he was seething. But now, quite a bit of irritation carried into his voice, more than irritation. He kept quiet though, and took on a low, velvet tone. Well... if that velvet was drenched in cyanide... "I suppose I _overestimated_ your ability Bard-san. I simply hoped that our _head chef_ would be able to make _salad_ without _blowing it up._" With every emphasized word, he took a step closer, until the blonde man was backed into a corner, quite literally.

"E-erm, Sebastian-s-san... I... j-just thought that... w-well, y'know, with the... tomatoes and all... Th-that they could be... roasted..." he finished shamefully, like a small child. "Oh, that's right. We mustn't forget the tomatoes spattered all over the walls. It looks like a murder scene in here!" The butler set a gloved hand on his forehead, thinking, calculating how much time it would take to clean up the chef's mess. Maylene was useless in the way of tidying anything, poor thing was blind as a bat... Finian would probably destroy the house even more than Bard already had... And Tanaka couldn't be expected to work like this in his state... What was a butler to do...?

"Well, that settles it. We need more than just those three and Mr. Tanaka to keep up the household." Sebastian finished his report. The young boy sitting behind the grand desk waved a hand dismissively. "Yes yes, that's fine, I agree. Do whatever you have to, Sebastian. Find someone suitable to cover those three." He scraped a quick bow, and and murmured an affirmation. At thirteen, Ciel was already the full-fledged Earl of Phantomhive, as well as president of an empire of toys and sweets, the Funtom Toy Company. A hard responsibility for a child, but then again, his young master was hardly a child. A grown-up little boy; petulant, but cold as ice. That summed up Ciel Phantomhive quite nicely. Just as what summed up Sebastian would be five simple words: One hell of a butler.

As they made plans, it was decided. They would find a servant apt to complete tasks that the others couldn't, covering their messes and helping them along. That way, Sebastian would have an extra hand and even have a bit of time to himself without always having to watch after those fools. The butler sighed in contentment. Now all that was left was to find them...

After a bit of this, a bit of that, and (of course) an afternoon tea break, there was a rapping at the doors of the main hall. "Now... who could that be?" Sebastian murmured softly. They weren't expecting any guests until noon. He set down the vase he was polishing and opened the grand doors with a bow and a smile, greeting the guest.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive manor. To what do we owe the pleasure of a beautiful young lady coming to see our young master?" He asked with a certain amount of flattery. Amber eyes, copper hair... on a different girl it _would_ have looked beautiful, but somehow this girl pulled it off with a certain drab air. Her eyes told him she wasn't fooled, which was rare, but not impossible. He shrugged inwardly, dismissive. A clear, but quiet voice answered him. "I am here to apply for the job you had inquired about. A maid, I believe it was?" she finished with a question. He blinked, and nodded. "Yes of course. Shall I show you to the young master's study?" He closed the door behind her as she walked in and nearly bumped into her as she stopped dead. Her eyes grew wide as she stared around her at the grand manor. He politely, but firmly ushered her forward. There was something that did not sit well with him about this girl... and he was going to find out what before long. He swore it.

"So then... You meet the qualifications upheld by the staff. There's just one more thing..." Ciel trailed off, staring calmly at the girl, revealed to go by the name of Emmaline. She tilted her head, quizzically, waiting. "Can you make a parfait?"

"A... parfait?" she repeated. After a nod, her mouth quirked into a smile. "Yes. Having younger siblings sort of demands I know how to make sweets. Does parfait happen to be your favorite, my lord?" she asked, still respectful of his status. He sat back, pleased. "Strawberry, preferably. Although I won't say no to chocolate." Sebastian suppressed a chuckle of his own, clearly surprised at the odd turn this conversation had taken. With a few more questions, and apparently delightful answers, the young Earl was definitely taken with the idea of having this girl as a maid. He quickly ordered Sebastian to have her measured for a uniform, at which time Sebastian left to summon Maylene. His ears picked up the sound of hushed talking coming from Ciel's study, but he couldn't quite make out the words. Probably something about angel food cake or some such thing, anyhow... He called for the girl, and heard a responding crashing sound coming from the main parlor. He sighed, and went to go collect what had certainly broke. Yes, he amended. This Emmaline definitely had much more grace than the clumsy maid, and perfect vision, it seemed. Maybe it wouldn't be terrible to have her here... Perhaps the girl was simply a bit off-kilter, as some humans were, and it made her seem odd. As he followed Maylene into the study, the two of them had fallen silent. Ciel coughed, and ordered the maid to take her new 'apprentice' for measuring. Emmaline greeted her with a friendly smile, which she returned, and the two of them left. Sebastian let a few moments pass before bluntly asking. "What were the pair of you speaking about?"

He caught the slightest hint of chagrin chasing across the boy's features, before his expression smoothed into the usual sneer. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he sassed. "It's no business of a butler to know his Master's private conversations. Now, go make some tea before they get back, and we shall discuss the terms of her starting today." As always, the perfect servant, he bowed and left the room, but not without a mildly annoyed expression. Since when was it not his business?

He sighed (doing that quite a bit, as of late) and made his way off to the still-scorched kitchen to prepare tea. It was still a toss-up whether this young woman would prove useful or not, he decided. We'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.

_**~And the curtain falls- on the first act.~**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Whoo~ Second chapter~ Many thanks to Mcdocious for the first review, I just wish you could have signed in so I could respond directly, but hopefully you're reading this XD And thanks again to ladybugseatppl and Chocolate Ribbons ^^ BUT the biggest thanks still goes to KrossAmongst, I love ya, darlin', AND UPDATE YOUR STORY ALREADY. Fans don't like it when you hold out on them. Particularly me! -coughs- Getting off track... Anyways, please enjoy the second chapter~**_

A new day, a new start... Emmaline let out a yawn, and stretched. While her eyes got adjusted to the darkness, in the other corner of the room, she heard someone stirring. Maylene, her senior, she recalled. The girl seemed friendly, but she was the only servant she'd met so far... She slipped out of her bed and tiptoed to a washroom to change into her new uniform. She tugged a bit at her unruly copper hair and sighed. This was already hard... She let her mind wander off for a moment, before the soft _clack_ of the door brought her back.

"O-oh, I-I'm sorry... I didn't realize anyone was... in here..." The pink-haired maid stuttered. "Y-you see, I'm used to-to having this room all to myself- Oh! N-not that you're a bother or anything like that! Yes, very helpful!" Emma put up a hand to quiet her, and smiled.

"It's alright. I don't mind. I'm finished changing, if you'd like to use the washroom. I'll be waiting in the kitchens to help prepare breakfast. Will that be alright?" An embarrassed blush had spread over the other girl's cheeks to match her hair, and she nodded. "Alright then. I'll be off." She grinned with a mock salute and headed out of their shared room. She studied the corridors while walking, taking in the scheme of coloring, the wallpapers, the curtains, the paintings... This was to be her home now. She tugged a curtain open, just a bit, to peer at the sky. Still a murky blue color; she smiled at this. Her favorite time, when night wasn't quite over, and day wasn't quite here. A small cough interrupted her thoughts, for the second time today.

She whirled around to see a blonde man standing a few feet behind her, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Ah... sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of the new maid, y'know?" he said with a big smile. She let out her breath all at once, and the corners of her mouth twitched in relief. Well, at least she was getting to meet more of the staff here.

"N-no no, it's quire alright. You just surprised me is all." she said, smile growing more mousy. "I'm assuming you're another servant, correct? It's very nice to meet you. My name is Emmaline, but please call me Emma." Forgetting her manners for a moment, she curtseyed hastily and the man let out a big laugh.

"Come on, no need to be formal. We're all friends here in this house, so it's best to act like it. Even the young master doesn't mind it. I'm Bardroy, but everyone calls me Bard. I'm the chef here. Is it alright if I call you Emma-Chan? Or Li'l Emma?" He winked, and she couldn't suppress a grin at the nickname.

"Only if you cook something good for me." she teased. "I can't very well call you Bard-Chan." He blinked, and shifted a little guiltily. She tiled her head. "What's wrong?"

"Eh... Actually, Sebastian always ends up being the one cooking. He says my methods are too 'extreme'" he grumbled with a snort. "Cooking is supposed to be about passion, and what's more passionate than a huge fire?" He stopped, and now it was his turn to ask what was wrong. Emma had paled, she clutched at the sleeves of her uniform, and she looked almost sick. "H-hey, did I say something wrong?" He stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, and she smacked him away, almost frantically.

She froze, her hand held in the air for a moment, before she awkwardly set it at her side. "I-I... I'm so sorry... I just-"

"Ah... Don't worry about it. I just got a little worried. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." He coughed, and smiled again. "Come on, why don't we go outside for a moment and meet Finny. You'll probably love the kid." She nodded, greatly relieved at the not-so-subtle distraction, and followed him out to the gardens. She took a deep breath, smelling grass and air and water and soil... So different from London...

"Heeeey!" she heard a voice shout. "Baaaard!" She blinked in surprise as a young boy ran up so suddenly, he crashed into Bard. "O-ow... Okay, that hurt... Oh! Bard, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to tackle you like that." He sat up, still sitting on Bard's chest, and stared at Emma with a curious, but friendly smile. "Oh, so you're the new maid, huh? My name's Finny, it's nice to meet you." He glanced down at the chef, who seemed like he was considering throwing the kid off or not, and pouted. "So why did you get to meet her before me?"

Bard sighed. "Look, it's not like I planned it. But you're out here in the gardens all the time, so it's natural that I'd see her before you. Besides, Sebastian was the one who met her first, and hired her. Maylene even took her measurements." At this, he noticed the girl's face was tinged pink, and quick apologized. "Now will you _get off me?" _he growled at Finny, and threw him off to the side. Emma squeaked a little, but apparently Finny wasn't hurt. He was even laughing.

"Aw come on! That's no fun! I was just sitting." The gardener said, standing and hauling Bard up. Obviously this child had abnormal strength... "So what's your name?" he asked, oblivious to her thoughts.

"That's Emma-Chan." Bard said proudly, like he was bragging with the nickname. Finny colored for a moment, and wailed, "I wanna call her Emma-Chan too! Can I, Emma-Chan? Please?" She blinked, and said a little nervously. "Well, I guess you already are... So yes, you may. Oh, then can I call you Finny-kun?"

She smiled. He replied with a quick "Of course!" in reply and mirrored her smile. _Hm..._ she thought. _With all the grinning going on here, it's a wonder if I don't have an ache by the end of the day..._ She shook her head a bit. No, these were very friendly people. It's good they could smile, as opposed to those who never smiled at all, back then...

A few minutes afterward, Maylene joined them and went about showing Emma how work was done around here; (albeit, the new employee took to working very smoothly) She cleaned and polished, and watered and weeded, and baked and tasted, a bit of everything here and there. Needless to say, everyone breathed easier at the Phantomhive Estate, and she seemed to enjoy helping out. Even Sebastian couldn't complain when she prepared the meat for dinner perfectly. (something Bard However, when there were times no one could find her at night, she always reappeared, looking a little hassled, and Ciel always muttered a quick word in her defense for an inquiring Sebastian. As the days passed, everyone got used to the unusual little miss Emmaline, bit by bit. Things were peaceful, but it wouldn't be long before that peace was shattered...


	3. Chapter 3

_And if he could dream... it would be about a very irritating girl, who still managed to interest him at every turn, with eyes that smoldered like old gold in the darkness..._

The moon makes a stunning backdrop, Emma reflected. Even when set against a certain in-your-face redhead she could mention... His back to her, he struck a few more poses to his 'audience', before she finally coughed slightly. He whipped towards her, the picture of happiness, and said eagerly, "Oh, there you are, Em! Did you bring it this time? I don't see it..." he finished mournfully, craning his neck to peer around her back.

"No, no. I have it." she assured, and reached inside her coat. His joyful 'squee' was cut short again as she pulled out an ordinary butter-knife with a wooden handle.

"... What the hell is _that_? Where's my chainsaw?" Grell demanded angrily. "You said you were going to bring my death scythe today! Don't make me pull that pretty violet hair right outta your head!" She ignored that last bit, and tugged a lock of hair to peer at it critically. It looked almost foreign to her after wearing that drab brown hair for so long...

Relatively human-looking (when compared to Grell, anyway) only the exotic shade of her eyes remained the same when she used her disguise. While she supposed her appearance must have been similar to that while she was still alive, not a reaper, the young woman with odd purple hair and the look of death in her honey-wine eyes was all she knew. Her thoughts were interrupted by her companion's icy stare. "Are you even listening to me? C'mon Em, I thought we were friends! Where are you hiding my chainsaw?"

She sighed, a trifle irritated, and spoke slowly and clearly. "You may think that piece of junk is worth your job at the Bureau, but I don't." After seeing his outraged expression, she quickly tacked on, "I asked William for it, and he simply told me to give you this. And before you say anything, no, you couldn't get even the scissors. Not after that cataclysm with Ronald's hair..." She shuddered mockingly, and shoved the knife in his hand. "If you want your scythe back, I suggest you use your 'feminine wiles' to try and convince Will. Until then, use that to reap souls."

He glared at the knife mutinously, but paused and looked at her strangely. "Speaking of which, where's your scythe? Last time I checked, you used an old-fashioned sickle- y'know, like Old Man Undertaker. I haven't seen it in a while."

She shrugged. "It was too impractical. So I opted for a different one until my job was done. On that note, I should probably be getting back. That butler's been watching me like a hawk." She paused as well, and continued with a wicked smirk. "Ah, you should have been there the time I accidentally walked in on the man changing; all those muscles!" She fanned herself, as if smiling at the memory, and burst out laughing at Grell's anguished howl.

"Aaaaaugh! Dammit! Why couldn't I have gone undercover? I'm a _much_ better actress than _you_." Here, he actually looked to see the hurt in her face. "Um, nevermind. But I just want Sebas-chan to notice only me! Is that so much to ask? So don't you go trailing after him like the harpie we both know you are." Her mouth quirked in a smile to show she agreed, and he continued. "So after this job is up, you don't have to go near him again. He's mine, understand?"

She blinked, and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking very prim. "First off, he already knows your face. You'd be kicked out in an instant. Second, you get much too worked up where your 'Sebas-chan' is concerned. Third, you are neither female, nor a better actress than me. Understand that. Fourth, fifth, and six, he doesn't like you, and I don't like him. I have neither reason nor rhyme to want to go near him. Oh, and by the by, I was kidding about the muscles. Explanation, finished."

With that, she gave a quick salute to her redheaded companion, and easily hopped over the roofs of buildings for the shortcut back to her assignment.

_**A/N: Sorry it's so short, (It looked so much longer on my Word Processor...) but I'll have to update again soon. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Leave a review. Until next time ^^**_


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